The Simple Flame of a Candle
by aspookah
Summary: rated for lang--Severus Snape had been spying for the Order of the Phoenix,and was discovered.He lies low at at old friend's house,along with Remus and Sirius.But what happens when Dumbledore goes missing and the old foes must work together.
1. chased

disclaimer: i own nothing but what i made up, yada yada yada... Excuse me while i sob.

The Simple Flame of a Candle

Chapter I

He paused, just for a moment, only long enough to catch his breath slightly, and then he was off again, running down the street like a madman. He knew not where to run, save for a single place just an alley and a turn away. He wasn't sure if his decision was even a good one, for he hadn't seen or heard from the resident of this newfound sanctuary for quite some time. But it was his only hope.

"Down that alley," a disturbingly smooth and confident voice ordered, followed by numerous pairs of feet splashing down the cold, damp street. "And remember, he's to be kept alive. Voldemort takes care of traitors on his own." The sinisterly silky and deep voice was recognizable as belong to a certain Lucius Malfoy.

He could sense them getting closer, closing in on him, just about finding him, but he was so close to his determined destination. He wasn't quite sure of what he would be put through once caught, but he was absolutely certain that he did not want to find out. But he also did not want to put the person to whom he was headed in any type of danger whatsoever. He summed up this predicament of his very nicely into a single word:

"Fuck," he hissed breathlessly.

But he couldn't stop now, he couldn't give up when he was so close to at least being safe. Making use of whatever energy he had left in him, he made a mad sprint to a seemingly inconspicuous Victorian house at the very end of the street. Without thought, he went straight to the back door and rapped on it urgently. No answer. Typical. He tried yet again, slightly harder and with far more urgency. Still he received no response.

"Damn it, deShey," he hissed to the door. And then it was opened.

A woman with long, wavy dark brown hair stood looking at him with rather surprised eyes.

"Severus?" she questioned in sheer disbelief, then, coming to her senses, opened the door for him to enter, and promptly shut and locked it.

"Chloe," he greeted, slightly more stiffly than he would have liked.

"Are you alright?" she asked, with genuine concern in her green eyes. What was he supposed to say, that he had just been chase half a mile by insane, bloodthirsty death eaters and was feeling positively peachy?

He just stared at the warm home, quite cozy really, but... was it getting darker?

"I was told you were in this area with the rather unscrupulous lot of characters who shall remain heartless..." Chloe said as she clicked of the only small table lamp and began blowing out various candles. "That's why I've been on edge all night, not quite prepared, but very much on alert for the Order."

"Why are you putting out the light?" Severus asked curiously.

"It's one in the morning," she told him. "If they come here looking for you, and I guarantee they will, I'll make like I was asleep."

_Of course_ he thought, scolding himself for not thinking properly. _And I should yell, "Hello, boys, I'm here!"_ He allowed the cold sarcasm to drip into his thoughts.

Before anything further could be said, there was a violent and continuous banging on the front door, causing both of them to jump slightly at the harsh sound. Oh, shit he thought.

"C'mon," she told him in a hushed, almost completely silent whisper as she led him slowly into the basement. Chloe brought him over to a far, empty wall underneath the cozy home. She took out her wand and whispered a simple spell, causing a hidden stone door to be cut out from the rest of the wall. Severus gave her a skeptical and questioning look.

"In there," she urged him, "unless you'd like to find out what they have in store for you." Still reluctant, Severus slipped behind the cold stone door. "Don't worry, there are over a dozen enchantments on this thing to prevent anyone but myself from opening it; the spells make it so they can't ever know it's there," Chloe reassured him before closing him up. "Hope you're not claustrophobic..."

He could hear everything going on upstairs, but had no idea if his own sounds could be heard. Wisely, he kept even his breathing quiet, and listened closely as Chloe deShey opened her door.

"DeShey," a cold voice stated harshly. The room was almost pitch black, but Chloe immediately knew who it was, knew the face that belonged to the distinctly silky yet sinister voice.

"Lucius," she returned, far more pleasantly. "To what do I owe this visit?"

"Where is he?" Malfoy demanded softly but coldly.

"Who?"

"Snape. Where is he?" A cold blue stare such as his sent shivers running up and down almost everyone's spine, but Chloe held her ground, staring back just as coldly, determined to ignored the sick feeling that begged her knees to give out. "You know very well what this is about, deShey," Malfoy challenged. "Don't play games with me."

"I don't think you understand me, Lucius," she spoke harshly, hoping to have her disgust with him come across in every word, "I have no idea where the man is; I have neither seen nor spoken to him on over seven years, and even before that, he was not exactly on my Christmas list." Lucius looked daggers in her direction, but was silent.

"Search the house," he ordered simply as he pushed his way in and sat in an armchair by the fireplace. With a wave of the hand, Chloe conjured up the crackling flames which proceeded to devour the logs, and with another flick of her nimble fingers, all the candles in the room were relit. Lucius glanced back at Chloe.

"So what took you so long to answer your door?"

"It is just past one o'clock in the bloody morning! Are you a bloody idiot? I was in bed, like most normal folk would be at this hour!" she rasped angrily. "And you come barging in here oh so elegantly with your cold-blooded crew of motley characters and tear through my home! I swear, if you had knocked any bloody harder, the damn door would have come down!" Malfoy smirked. He walked over to her desk, which was littered with various papers, notebooks and writing instruments. He picked up a wand.

"Do you always leave your wand lying around like this?" he asked with an icy smile.

"That's not my wand; it's a fake." Malfoy gave her an odd, questioning look. "It belonged to the Weasley twins; Remus confiscated it during a class when he taught at Hogwarts and must've left it here."

"Lupin?" Lucius questioned, still with a slight smile, but with pure hated in his eyes. "I can't believe that damn werewolf was ever allowed to teach there. Then again, what could one expect, with Dumbledore as headmaster... I'm sure many parents are quite relieved that I had the big bad wolf taken care of." Chloe wore a look of pure and utter hatred, a look that would strike him dead if it could. Before she could say anything to infuriate him, the heavy footsteps of the death eaters all reported back to Malfoy.

"Did you check everywhere?" he pushed furiously. Then he spotted the flight of stairs descending to the cold basement. "The basement, did you check the basement?"

"Yes, sir," was the reply "Nothing there but some stacks of books and empty walls... And a very nippy sheepdog upsatirs..." the dark wizard commented, rubbing his aching, bitten hand.

Not at all satisfied, Malfoy trudged down the stairs to have a look for himself. Indeed, there was nothing but books, a box or two, and loads of empty wall space. He took out his wand and hissed a revealing spell. Nothing.

Fuming, he retreated back upstairs with a simple "We're leaving," to his minions. As he and the black-robed band of dark wizards stalked out of the house, Chloe herded them from behind.

"Nice seeing you again, too," she called brightly with a smirk. "Perhaps next time we can have tea..."

"Go to hell, deShey."

Severus, inside the basement wall, released the tiniest of smiles as he heard this last sarcastic comment of Chloe's. Always with a witty comeback, basically her trademark... He was more than grateful as Chloe reopened the stone door.

"Are you alright?" was the first thing that came out of his mouth, expressing his genuine concern for her well-being.

"That went quite well, wouldn't you say," Chloe said with a slightly sarcastic undertone. "C'mon. I'll fix up a spare room for you."

Severus looked shocked.

"I didn't think I'd be staying the night..."

"Well you don't expect me to send you out on the street at two o'clock in the morning, do you?" she laughed. "Besides, they won't be back here tonight."

The spare room, like the rest of the house, was simple but cozy. The hardwood floors and adobe colored walls gave it somewhat of a warm feeling, and the heavy, navy blue comforter on the bed was indeed for warmth as well.

"It's simple, but it's home," Chloe said smiling, looking around the room. "I trust you're tired; it's been a long night."

Severus was rather speechless, to say the least. What should he say? Well, he should be polite. A small "Thank you," was all he could muster. She had done so much for him already, and now she was allowing him to rest in her home.

So as she turned to leave the room, he took a step closer and held her lightly back by the wrist.

"Thank you," he said more strongly this time. She smiled at him with her green eyes.

"Goodnight, Severus," she said softly as she exited, closing the door behind her.


	2. breaking and entering

disclaimer: I am poor and lonely; i own no official hp characters (Chloe's mine cuz i made her up), just keep these rabid lawyers away form me...

The Simple Flame of a Candle

Chapter II

Thud. _What the hell was that?_ Severus thought. He glanced at the clock on his bedside table. It read 3:17 a.m. Perhaps he had imagined the noise in paranoia.

Crash! _Shit!_ he thought. That time he had definitely heard something, and his only assumption was the death eaters.

Without giving himself time for thought, he leapt out of bed and was dashing down the stairs, wand in hand.

Someone had indeed broken in, as he found Chloe talking to the man who had just crawled through the window, and apparently smashed a small table lamp. Severus watched silently from the stairs as the man picked himself up from the floor.

"What the hell are you doing here at this time of night?" Chloe insisted.

"It's not like I haven't been here this late before," the man replied gently, "or this early, for that matter..."

"Why the bloody hell didn't you just use the door?" Chloe replied, not allowing herself to stray off subject. "And where is your damn key?" A loud bark from outside interrupted her, and she opened the back door with a sigh, allowing a large black dog to enter. "Oh, get up," Chloe ordered, staring at the furry canine. Suddenly, the dog transformed into a man with shoulder-length black hair and soulful dark eyes.

"Remus, you had the key?" he said to the other man, who had shorter, ginger-colored hair. "We could have done this the easy way..."

"Sirius, when was the last time you did something the easy way?" Remus retorted with a small smile. "And, uh, I sort of forgot about the key," he said, removing the small bronze key from his pocket.

"It's a bit dark, wouldn't you say?" Chloe commented, and with a snap of her fingers, flames sprung up on the various candles around the room. "Care to join us, Severus?" He stood up from his crouched position, a look of shock on his face. How did she know he was there? He was behind her, and hadn't made a sound...

"Did you not realize that our dear Chloe is an empath?" Remus explained with a mild smile.

"I sensed your concern," she stated, turning around. "As you can see, the Order is keeping a good watch on you..."

"Yes, employing a watchdog, I see," Severus returned dryly, looking at Sirius with contempt.

"What, not happy to see us?" Sirius joked, sitting himself down on the fluffy couch, as Severus rested elegantly in the same armchair which Lucius Malfoy had been seated in earlier that night.

"You really shouldn't have come, Padfoot," Chloe sighed, plopping down next to him. "You're taking a risk I'd rather you didn't take..."

"But you're happy to see me," Sirius half-stated, half-asked, placing an arm around her shoulders.

"Yes, I'm happy to see you," she smiled. "And you," she said, beckoning Remus over and taking his hand.

"Why in Merlin's name are you here?" Severus butted in quite unceremoniously.

"Well, you didn't think the Order would simply abandon you, especially when things heated up, did you?" Remus questioned rhetorically with a small smile. "Dumbledore tipped us off to your predicament, and I was sent in hopes of preventing certain unsavory events from unfolding..." he paused glancing at his companion. "Padfoot made a extremely stupid decision in taking the risk of accompanying me..."

"You know I've always been a risk-taker, Moony," Sirius smirked, a mischievous glint in his eyes.

"Yes, and you also always got caught," Chloe remarked rather dryly. Severus was sitting rather sullenly, obviously not having happy memories of the 'good old days'. _Hardly ever got what he deserved, bloody bastard_ he thought.

"It's not healthy to keep all that anger bottled up inside, Severus," Chloe told him, her empathic senses alert. He returned with a look that was anything but amused. "Why don't I put on some tea," she suggested, standing up quickly. "We could all use a decent amount of caffeine at this hour..."

"I'll help," Remus offered.

"No, you stay and, er, supervise--I mean socialize," Chloe insisted awkwardly, then mouthed "Behave" to Sirius before exiting the room.

"So, how bout those Chudley Cannons..." Remus tried his best to stay optimistic. His two companions simply took a moment from glaring at each other to give him a look. Luckily, the gathering sipped tea quietly without an outburst between the old school enemies. And, luckily for Sirius and Remus, the house in which they currently found themselves had quite enough room for an overnight stay.

"Sirius, you're down the hall on the right, next to Severus," Chloe told him. Don't even think about arguing; you're lucky you are even staying here. Remus, you're across from the other two."

"Thank you, Chloe," he said politely, as always.

"Hey, where's your room, Kitten?" Sirius asked with a cocky grin.

"Don't be a smart ass, Padfoot," she warned. "It's the one by the stairs, if there's an emergency..." Sirius smiled. "If there's an emergency," she repeated, holding up a finger, but she had trouble hiding a small smile.

"Goodnight, Sev," Chloe said as the addressed slipped into his room.

"'Night, babe," Sirius said quietly, giving her a gracious and loving hug, along with a fond kiss on the cheek, before entering his assigned room.

"Chloe," Remus stepped closer to her, "thank you, so much." He smiled slightly. "It wasn't necessary for you to put us up for the night; it was very kind."

"Anything for my friends," she told him, embracing him gently. "Get some rest; I figure we can achieve a couple hours' sleep." Remus simply returned her embrace wholeheartedly. "You'll need your strength," she commented, and he gazed at her intently, very canine-like. "The full moon is not quite a week away," she said almost solemnly. "Go to bed," she ordered, placing a kiss on her best friend's cheek, and he slipped out of her arms and toward his room.

"Goodnight, Kitten," he said quietly, smiling softly.

"Goodnight," she returned, disappearing into her room.


	3. gone

disclaimer: i'm really getting sick of writing disclaimers... what idiot is going to think that i came up with harry potter? fine, whatever, harry potter and all related characters are trademark of jk rowling... don't i sound professional...

The Simple Flame of a Candle

Chapter III

Chloe's eyes blinked open gently, awakened by the soft light pouring over her face, as well as the furry sheepdog standing over her, licking her face.

"Toby," she smiled, "not exactly the kind of morning shower I was planning on..."

As she stood up and pushed the blankets from her lightly clad body, she felt the toll of lack of sleep. Wrapping a soft robe around her, she headed downstairs, hearing the quiet murmuring voices of her guests conversing gently, the black and white dog at her heels. She opened the back door to allow the border collie out for business, and was still yawning while her canine companion trotted back in. As she entered the kitchen, Chloe was slightly surprised to find but two of her guests.

"Morning," she greeted pleasantly.

"How did you sleep?" Remus asked softly, pouring her a cup of tea.

"You mean the two hours I spent with my eyes closed?" she smiled. "Toby woke me with a good-morning kiss..."

"Who the hell is Toby?!" Sirius growled protectively. Chloe's smile simply grew wider as she looked pointedly in the direction of the sheepdog laying on the floor. "Oh," he replied quietly, slightly embarrassed, while Remus stifled a laugh.

"Where's Severus," Chloe asked nonchalantly, sipping her tea.

"Said something about reporting to Dumbledore," Sirius answered, putting forth the impression that his caring for the Potions master was quite limited. Chloe just about choked on the tea she had tried to swallow.

"You let him go alone?" she practically yelled, standing up. "What the fuck is wrong with you???"

"He can take care of himself," Sirius responded dryly.

"Not against a mob of pissed off, bloodthirsty, vengeful death eaters!"

"Why are you so bloody upset about him leaving?" Sirius challenged.

"Because, I don't know if this even dawned on you, Mr. Intelligence, but we are supposed to keep an eye on him! Why the hell did you think the Order informed you on his whereabouts?" Chloe didn't normally have a temper, but when she was angry, one had to watch for sprouting flames. Literally, when she got angry, she started things on fire, magically... "Oh, that's right, Sirius, the Order never did inform you because you are supposed to lay low for a while, the definition of which you cannot possibly fathom, and you come gallivanting out here for a joy ride!"

Sirius had been staring at her straight in the eye before, but now, he felt like a young child who had gotten caught doing something naughty. His dark eyes were glued to the wooden surface of the table, his heart aching from arguing with one of his best friends, one of his only friends left in this world...

"He left maybe ten or fifteen minutes ago," Remus said very delicately, trying to calm the raging air. Chloe's look softened as she channeled Sirius's mixed emotions of bitterness, regret, and sorrow.

"Maybe we can still catch him," Chloe said quickly, her anger blown away.

"Let's not be too rash, or blow this so far out of proportion that we're in hysterics," Remus spoke gently. "Chloe, do you have an owl?"

"She likes to hang out in the attic," she said quietly, sitting down once again at the table.

"I'll send an urgent note to Dumbledore. Severus may be in his company by now, and we'll all earn a little piece of mind."

As Remus made his way to the attic, he hoped whatever had gotten under his companions' skin would soon be resolved.

In the kitchen, Chloe and Sirius sat in silence, neither of them touching the now cold cups of tea in front of them. Chloe glanced up at Sirius; he was watching her almost sadly, his soulful eyes holding something, maybe... fear?

Chloe gently place her hand over his much larger one, a small but meaningful gesture. She wanted to offer comfort, but what was he so desperately afraid of?

"Alright, urgent letter sent to Dumbledore, check," Remus stated, returning to the kitchen, taking a seat next to Sirius. By now Chloe was bustling about, washing teacups, wiping counters, purposely trying to keep busy.

"Kitten, I don't think Moony made that big of a mess by just putting on some tea..." Sirius commented.

"I'm anxious, I clean when I'm anxious," she returned stiffly, "so shove it." Remus stood again, gently removed the cloth from her hand, and put a hand on her shoulder.

"The kitchen is spotless; why don't you go upstairs and get dressed." Obeying this advice, Chloe came back down after throwing on a pair of muggle jeans and a black tank top, just in time for the arrival of Dumbledore letter. After reading it carefully, Remus smiled contently.

"See, nothing to be worried about," he said. "Severus is with the headmaster now, and will be accompanied back here..." He paused.

"What?" Chloe prompted.

"How do you feel about company?"

"Pardon?"

"Since over a dozen wizards and witches appearing at Grimmauld Place for every meeting might seem suspicious, Dumbledore was hoping on having the Order meet here..."

"Oh," Chloe said, "okay."

"...tonight..."

"Oh," she said softly, "crap."

She was quiet for a moment, thinking of having the likes of Mundungus Fletcher in her home, but then, anything for the Order...

"Aw, what the hell," she said. "Why not."

"This should be interesting..." Sirius remarked with a smirk. Chloe sighed.

"I'm sure it will be."


End file.
